


What is Love anyway

by Lothiriel84



Category: MarsCorp (Podcast)
Genre: Aromantic, Dialogue Heavy, Evil Corporations, Gen, I Don't Even Know, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:46:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22834993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: does anybody love anybody anyway
Kudos: 2
Collections: Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week 2020





	What is Love anyway

“Valentine’s Day, you say? What’s a valentine?”

 _Give me strength_ , Hob thought to herself, her eye-roll clearly lost on Jim. “Look, it doesn’t matter. It was just another excuse for selling overpriced flowers and chocolates and stupid cards. Can we please move on?”

“Ooh,” Dave grinned, in that tone of voice which invariably meant he was already scheming to find a way for him to capitalise on the idea. “Now that sounds just like my kind of thing.”

“That’s not what it was all about, actually,” David piped in helpfully from where he was busy perusing a pile of dusty old posters and knick-knacks. “I remember reading about it in the Culture Department, right before the – well. I believe it was a celebration of romantic love, a day to be spent with your significant other.”

“I’m sorry, David, but you’re not making any sense,” Jim shook his head, as chirpy as ever. “That’s what Bowling Nights are for, as you should know.”

“Yes,” Hob quipped, fully aware there was a better chance for Jim to suddenly sprout wings than for him to actually understand sarcasm. “The epitome of romance, I bet.”

“Exactly! And it’s a useful bonding activity for all the couples living in the same sector, which makes it even better.”

“Right,” David blinked, looking somewhat perplexed. “But you’ll have to admit, it’s not very _romantic_ , now, is it?”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, you know, like an actual date would be – just you and your significant one, alone, together?”

“Oh come on,” Jim laughed, as if David had just told him he was planning to overthrow the entire colour system – which would definitely be more Dave’s speed, to be fair. “We already know we’re compatibles. Whatever would we need dating for?”

“Doesn’t have to be a date,” David insisted. “Just any activity you both enjoy, and the two of you spending some quality time together.”

“Yeah, Jim, why don’t you tell us about the _quality time_ you spend with your wife, hmm?” Dave smirked, even as a faint blush crept up David’s cheekbones.

“You know I didn’t mean it like that,” David protested, nervously fiddling with the cuffs of his tattered lab coat. “Listen, Jim, you do love your wife, right?”

“Of course I do,” Jim nodded, enthusiastically. “We’ve got three beautiful daughters to prove it.”

“That’s not – I’m talking about romantic attraction, for Shareholders’ sake.”

“About what now,” Dave frowned, as if the conversation had somehow abruptly moved to matters beyond his comprehension.

“Miss Hob, please help me out,” David begged, completely oblivious to her resolute efforts to keep out of the sudden turn in their conversation. She cursed under her breath, pinching the bridge of her nose for good measure.

“What David is trying to say is, as a species, we didn’t always rely on a company-approved database system to find our compatible matches. Back on Earth, we were free to date anyone we liked, and then we had to work out for ourselves how compatible we were, romantically or otherwise.”

“But that’s just inefficient,” Jim blurted out in sheer disbelief. “And anyway, I still don’t understand what _romantically compatible_ means.”

“ _Or otherwise_ ,” Dave grinned, salaciously. “Let’s not forget that.”

“You’re all hopeless,” David grumbled, shoving the stacks of yellowing paper back into their respective filing cabinets. “I give up.”

Hob counted mentally to twenty before delving into a different set of drawers.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so the original idea for this was to write Jim as aromantic, and then it somehow morphed into the sort of scenario where most Martians are in fact on the aromantic spectrum - with the notable exception of David. I can't say I very much like the unspoken implication that MarsCorp may have somehow influenced the overall romantic orientation of its employees (in a 'in space/in the future everyone is bisexual' sort of way, broadly speaking) but I guess I'll just leave it all up to you.


End file.
